Indexing blanks with respect to groups of receptacles to be enclosed within the cartons formed therefrom



Dec. 2, 1969 K. s. COMPTON 3,

INDEXING BLANKS WITH RESPECT TO GROUPS OF RE CCCCCCC ES ENCLOSED WITHIN THE CARTONS FORMEDTHEREFROM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 -TO BE Filed May 9, 1967 INVENTOR. Ke/fh 6. Compfon v BY WW 3,481,104 ACLES Dec. 2. 1969 K. B. COMPTON INDEXING BLANKS WITH RESPECT TO GROUPS OF RECEIPT 0 B Filed May 9, 1967 3,431,104 ROUPS OF RECEP CL s ONS FORMED THER TA E EFROM 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 2. 1969 K.- B. COMP N INDEXING BLANKS WITH RESPECT T To BE ENCLOSED WITHIN THE CART Filed May 9, 1967 R m r, m m m m v m w m w A T q K n. Y B

Dec., 2, 1969 K. s. COMPTON 3,

INDEXING BLANKS WITH RESPECT TO GROUPS OF RECEPTACLES TO BE ENCLOSED WITHIN THE GARTONS FORMED THEREFROM Filed May 9 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Ke/fh B. Compfofl United States Patent O 3,481,104 INDEXING BLANKS WITH RESPECT TO GROUPS OF RECEPTACLES TO BE ENCLOSED WITHIN THE CARTONS FORMED THEREFROM Keith B. Compton, San Jose, Calif., assignor to Certipak Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 9, 1967, Ser. No. 637,149 Int. Cl. B65b 35/44, 41/06 US. Cl. 53-49 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a machine for enclosing successive groups of receptacles, such as bottles, in open-ended cartons formed from blanks which are transversely placed over the tops of the receptacles, the present improvements insure accurate placement at high production rates of a blank over the tops of the receptacles of a group within a very short distance from the blank magazine from which the blank is withdrawn by a conventional vacuum gripper and placed in a downwardly slanted position across the path of the articles while being held by an indexing device in a position in which the receptacles are about to engage the blank at appropriate apertures in the blank. After engagement the indexing means releases the blank which is thus accurately centered with respect to the group.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention In the art of packaging groups of receptacles, such as bottles, cans and the like in carriers of the open-ended Wrap around type problems arise in the accurate placement of the carrier, which is conventionally provided with apertures, with respect to the receptacles which are to be grasped by the carrier at the apertures. The problems become more severe as the packaging rate is increased.

Description of the prior art It is known in this connection partially to perfold the carriers and to deposit the prefolded carriers over a continuous row of bottles in a condition in which the carriers are partially overlapped, whereafter the continuous row of bottles is subdivided into groups, one for each carrier.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention deals with the application of blanks within a very short distance from the blank magazine to pre-grouped receptacles in such a manner that the apertures in the blank are accurately centered with respect to the receptacles, for example the necks of bottles. This is accomplished by first depositing the blank in slanted position partially across the path of the receptacles and by holding the blank in the deposited position by an indexing means from the moment of deposit until the leading receptacle or receptacles of the group have engaged the still stationary blank sufliciently firmly in order to be able to take the blank along. At that moment the blank is released by the indexing means.

The objects, features and advantages of this invention will appear more fully from the detailed description which follows accompanied by drawings showing, for the purpose of illustration, the invention as applied to the packaging of bottles. The invention also resides in certain new and original features of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the characteristicfeatures of this invention which are believed to be novel will be particularly pointed 3,481,104 Patented Dec. 2, 1969 ice BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1 to 4 are perspective views of the essential portions of a machine for packaging groups of six bottles in carriers of the wrap around type, the figures illustrating successive phases of operation.

In the following description and in the claims various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. The names, however, are intended to be generic in their application. Corresponding reference characters refer to corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specification disclose certain specific details of construction for the purpose of explanation of broader aspects of the invention, but it should be understood that structural details may be modified in various respects without departure from the principles of the invention and that the invention may be incorporated in other structural forms than shown.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Bottles supplied from the far left of FIG. 1 pass between pairs of grouping wheels 11 and 12 on opposite sides of a transport track Whose lateral boundaries are seen at 13 and 14. After passing beyond the reach of the grouping wheels the groups of bottles are carried by a table top conveyor 15 on which lugs 16 are mounted at intervals in order to carry groups of bottles towards the right (see also FIG. 4).

In the illustrated example, six bottles are arranged in two rows of three bottles, but it should be understood that bottles may also be arranged in groups of four or groups of eight in double file arrangement and, further, that bottles may be arranged in single file, in which case a group usually contains between two and six bottles.

The grouped bottles pass underneath a blank magazine in which a stack of blanks B rests on edge on rearwardly extending rods 17, the foremost blank being retained at a magazine gate 18 by marginal lip elements 19 which slightly overlap the edges of the blank.

Vacuum cups 20 supplied at intervals with vacuum through lines 21 are mounted on arms 22 clamped to a shaft 23 which is mounted in end bearings, one bearing being visible at 24. An operating arm 25 is fast on the shaft 23 and a push rod 26 extends downwardly from the arm 25 to .a suitable crank or cam of the machine which moves the push rod up and down in order to impart an oscillating or reciprocating motion (compare FIGS. 1 and 3) to the feeder arms 22 and cups 20 about the axis of the shaft 23. As is readily seen, the shaft is disposed transverse with respect to the direction of travel of the bottles along the track.

Inclined rails 27 are provided above, and on either side of, the conveyor on which a withdrawn blank is deposited (see also FIG. 2) by the vacuum cups. In the position in which the blank is deposited, it is held in place by a pair of fingers 28 which are mounted on a sleeve 29 rotatable on the shaft. The sleeve 29 and fingers 28 are biased by a spring (not visible) in a counterclockwise direction and normally assume a raised end position in which they are shown in FIG. 1 and in which they engage apertures 32 in the blank (FIG. 2).

An arm 30, which is fast on the shaft 23 and which has a roller 31 at its end, may be swung against a downwardly directed extension 35 (FIG. 1) on the sleeve in order to tilt the fingers downwardly to withdraw from the V deposited blank (FIG. 3).

In the position in which a blank rests on the rails 27 and is held by the fingers 28, the lower portion of the blank extends into the path of bottles moving on the conveyor 15 and the tops of the bottles move into the lowest pair of apertures 23.

Shortly before the necks of the bottles engage the leading edges of the apertures (FIG. 2), the fingers 28 are withdrawn and from that moment on the bottles drag the blank with them which then falls over the necks of the second (FIG. 3) and third row (FIG. 4) as the trailing portion of the blank slides down the rails. The blank is then maintained level and pressed down on the bottles by a hold down rail 34.

The bottle group moves its blank B to stations at which side panels of the blank are folded down the sides of the bottle group, the bottom panels are folded under the bottles and are finally locked together. These stations lie to the right of the figures and need not be further described.

In the position shown in FIG. 4, the first group of bottles is separated from the second group by a substantial gap and the vacuum operated feeder is about to deposit the next blank B on the rails 27. The blank B has already moved over the fingers 28 and will, after release by the vacuum cups, assume the position shown in FIG. 2 in which it is ready to be engaged by the second group of bottles.

The blanks are thus accurately indexed with respect to the groups of bottles by operations which may be carried out with great rapidity.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for enclosing successive groups of articles, receptacles such as bottles, in open ended cartons, said machine comprising transport means for moving spaced groups of receptacles along a longitudinal transport track, a magazine for flat blanks, reciprocating vacuum gripper means pivoted about a transverse axis below the magazine for withdrawing the foremost blank from said magazine and depositing it at a deposit station in a downwardly slanted position in which it at least partially extends into the path of said receptacles, and in which an indexing means is provided at said station for first retaining the deposited blank in said slanted position and then releasing the blank after physical contact of the blank with said group, characterized in that the indexing means comprises a finger insertable in an aperture of the blank, the indexing means being also pivoted about said axis and movable in alternation with said gripper means.

2. In a machine for enclosing successive groups of receptacles, such a bottles, in open-ended cartons formed about the bottles from a blank, said machine comprising 4 transport means for moving spaced groups of receptacles along a transport track, a magazine for flat blanks and reciprocating vacuum gripper means for withdrawing the foremost blank from said magazine and depositing it at a deposit station, the improvement which comprises blank supporting means at said station for supporting a blank released by said gripper means in a position downwardly slanted towards said track, a finger element for engaging the rearward portion of the blank in a position in which the forward portion of the blank extends sufficiently far into the path of the receptacles moving along said track to be struck thereby, and means for reciprocating said finger element between a position of engagement with a blank at the moment the blank is deposited on said supporting means and a position of release of the blank at a moment of physical contact between said blank and receptacles of a group.

3. A machine according to claim 2 in which said blank supporting means comprises slanted rails above, and on opposite sides of, the track, one end of the rails being higher and the other end of the rails being lower than the receptacles on said track.

, 4. A machine according to claim 2 for the enclosing of bottles in blanks of the type comprising two rows of apertures in its top panel through which the tops of the bottles project, in which machine the finger element comprises a pair of fingers for engaging, from below, the rearmost apertures of a deposited blank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,971,306 2/1961 Phillips 53-313 X 3,162,988 12/1964 Sherman 5348 3,303,631 2/1967 Ganz 5348 3,367,086 2/1968 Ganz 5348 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner R. L. SPRUILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

